[image of a Santa Monica Bay beach from Heal the Bay]
Technically, it’s polystyrene, but everyone calls these storm-drain clogging, marine-life killing foamy plastic styrofoam. And now, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have unanimously agreed to officially study a possible ban on styrofoam food containers from LA County restaurants and stores.
The county spends about $15 million a year on storm drains to block polystyrene, said Donald L. Wolfe, director of the county public works department. “It’s basically with us forever,” Wolfe told the board.
Santa Monica already banned food containers made of styrofoam and other non-recyclable plastics this January; the law goes into effect January 2008. San Francisco too’s going styrofoam-free, joining Oakland and a few other forward-thinking cities.
FYI — Do NOT put styrofoam into the blue bins.
It’s worth noting that the cafeteria at myspace just switched from
styrofoampolystyrene containers for their food to recycled paper containers. Other than the color, it seems functionally equivalent (except that it won’t melt on your food in the microwave) so I think that the change won’t be that painful.Comment by don hosek — May 23, 2007 @ 7:03 am